Chiefs Stay Quiet At Trade Deadline
The NFL trade deadline has come and gone, with the Kansas City Chiefs staying fairly quiet compared to want fans wanted.
We all know that the Chiefs traded with the New York Giants for wide receiver Kadarius Toney on October 27th. That trade was designed more around the future than the 2022 campaign based on the Chiefs’ current strength at wide receiver. Fans were expecting, some demanding, a lot more action for the Chiefs before the trade deadline of 3:00 pm Central on November 1st.
Many in the Chiefs Kingdom wanted to significantly improve the pass rush with a big-name defensive end or help the pass protection with an upgraded offensive tackle. Those fans were left disappointed when the only move the Chiefs made at the deadline was to trade away Rashad Fenton.
Chiefs Trade Fenton To Atlanta
The Chiefs traded Fenton to the Atlanta Falcons for a conditional seventh-round draft pick. Fenton was drafted in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL draft. While being a productive player for a sixth-round pick, Fenton had been moved down to the end of the Chiefs cornerback depth chart. He would have been a free agent at the end of the year, and the Chiefs were not interested in bringing him back. Rather than let him go for free, they dealt him for a pick and saved $1.5 million toward the cap this season.
It was a good move by the Chiefs to get something for nothing while also giving them an extra $1.5 million to either spend on a free agent this season or roll over to next season. That money could be put towards a signing of Odell Beckham Jr this season or any number of free agents in 2023.
Splashy Moves Not Necessary For Chiefs Kingdom
That type of trade is not splashy enough for most of Chiefs Kingdom, however. From sports talk radio to Facebook groups and Twitter, fans have been vocal, saying the Chiefs “needed” help from the trade market. Most of the chatter was about the defensive line and improving the pass rush. Brian Burns, Josh Allen, and Robert Quinn were popular names thrown around.
Brian Burns and Josh Allen were far too expensive to be reasonable for the Chiefs. The Carolina Panthers wanted at least two first-round picks for Burns, while the Jacksonville Jaguars were asking a high price for Allen. The Chiefs were not interested in trading away their first pick in the 2023 draft with it being held in Kansas City. The massive contract extensions both would have required after the trade also lowered the Chiefs interest.
Chiefs Are In It For The Long Haul
Fans need to learn that the Chiefs are not in some Kansas City Royals three-year window. When the Royals were going to back-to-back World Series, we all knew their window was short due to the team not being able to resign all their stars. The Chiefs do not have this same problem as Patrick Mahomes will be with the Chiefs for at least the next decade. Having Mahomes in-house for the long-term means the Chiefs are running a marathon, not a sprint.
Sacrificing the future, the way the Buffalo Bills did with Von Miller, is not part of the Chiefs plans. Of course, they want to win the Super Bowl in 2022, but they also want to ensure they are in an excellent place to make moves to win the Super Bowl in 2023 and every year after that.
You need to ask yourself, what chance do you give the Chiefs to win the Super Bowl this season? If you are like me, then you believe they are the favorite with the roster they have right now. Adding anyone to the roster is just icing on the cake, not some desperate need. Why trade away value capital for a slight increase in chances this season that would hurt your chances in future years?
That kind of short-term desperate thinking has no place in Chiefs Kingdom anymore. We are past the Marty Ball and Alex Smith years, and it is time that fans adjust their thinking to the new reality of Chiefs football. That reality is that we are the favorites every year; we are the New England Patriots or New York Yankees. That kind of position means we don’t have to make the desperate moves other teams make just to be relevant. We never have to go all in. Instead, we just need to make intelligent long-term moves and enjoy watching the wins roll in.
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